There are indications that the Nigerians in Diaspora Commission has started an investigation into the alleged detention of Nigerians in an unknown prison in Libya, following their appeal to the Federal Government for intervention and assistance.
A viral video observed by our correspondent on Tuesday showed hundreds of women, including children, locked inside a compound, screaming, “Freedom!” at the top of their voices.
One of the PUNCH Metro correspondents who viewed the brief video observed a child with a swollen stomach suspected to be suffering from malnutrition, women, including an elderly man, lamenting the child’s condition.
A protesting woman claimed that many nationals from other countries had fled the area, noting that they had stayed behind only to avoid tarnishing Nigeria’s reputation.
She warned they would force their way out of the facility if the Federal Government did not meet their demands.
“Look at where we are sleeping. We are suffering. We want freedom. We need your help, or else we will bust this place. All other nationals are running away, but we, Nigerians, stay calm; we are doing so just because we want to protect our name, we want to protect our country.
“If you won’t take any steps, we are going to take steps with our hands. We need freedom,” the protester warned.
In a statement provided to our correspondent on Tuesday, the Director of Media, Public Relations and Protocols at NiDCOM, Abdur-Rahman Balogun, said the commission would investigate the matter, lamenting that Nigerians had failed to heed repeated warnings against travelling to Libya despite numerous cautions.
The statement partly read, “Over 10,000 Nigerians were evacuated from Libya a few years ago, based on a memo by Hon. Abike Dabiri-Erewa, approved by the then President, and a coalition of multi-agency teams set up to evacuate all Nigerians stranded in Libya.
“For the umpteenth time, there was a clear warning by Dabiri-Erewa to Nigerians to desist from that dangerous path. But the warning was not yielded to.
“In the last couple of months, more Nigerians have been brought back from Libya, thanks to the efforts of the International Organisation for Migration in Nigeria, which has been regularly evacuating Nigerians stranded in Libya back home.
In 2022, the commission, in collaboration with other partners, evacuated approximately 679 stranded Nigerians from the United Arab Emirates and Libya.
